It probably goes without saying that beating cancer would be one of the largest medical victories we as humans could ever achieve. I was watching some of the TED presentations last night, and I felt like this video was not only an extremely solid argument to eat a healthy blend of fruits and vegetables, but it was very insightful research that more people should be aware of. Dr. William Li gives a talk about some clinical research that talks about fighting cancer with what are called "anti-angiogenic treatments".Dr. Li talks about the development of blood vessels, also known as angiogenesis. The growth of blood vessels within the body is naturally regulated in order to keep us healthy, and living within our normal parameters. We tend to not really think about how amazing our body is, because it is normally an uncontrolled, automatic process. There is little thought given to how when we cut ourselves, blood vessels grow out underneath the scab we form in order to restore natural development. It's pretty awesome, when you get down to the science of it! In the video, Dr. Li highlights a list of complications that happen when angoigenesis is either accelerated beyond normal limits, or under-productive. Hypoactive angiogenesis can lead to strokes, hair loss, chronic injuries/cuts, and coronary heart disease. On the other side, an over-development of blood vessels can be found in people with cancer, arthritis, obesity, and MS.

Angiogenesis, or the development of new blood vessels

In the presentation, Li talks about the basis of these therapies. The root question is, "Can we beat cancer by starving it of blood supply?" A seemingly simple question, with an excitingly supportive answer. We see several animal treatment cases where various combinations of anti-angiogenic creams, injections, and pills work to lengthen life, increase quality of life, and in some instances, completely push cancers into remission! The best part of this whole study is that there's no push towards drugs, or an endorsement from a pharmaceutical company. Rather, the evidence shows that eating healthy foods that have higher anti-angiogenetic (A-Ag) properties. This is a big deal! Here's a list of the foods that rank high on the A-Ag scale:

I'm honestly VERY happy to see this research, because more than ever it emphasizes that yes, including these foods in your diet is good for you! It's one thing to be able to tell someone, "Yeah, eating all these veggies and fruits is healthy." It won't sway many people; taking something at face value isn't something we as Americans do very well. So we can go further by saying, "Eating your vegetables and fruits can help you lose weight, and prevent fat gains." Now that might start to turn some heads, and that one bit of advice has helped hundreds of thousands of people lose weight and feel better. But that still leaves the people that aren't overly concerned about weight loss, and from their outward appearances, seem pretty healthy despite eating a pretty imbalanced diet. So here comes that same old bit of advice, but we've added something extra to it:

"Research is proving that eating these foods can reduce your chances of getting cancer." Bam. Now THAT is a solid reason to take a second look at what you are eating!